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25 Things People Miss About San Antonio When They Leave

While San Antonians are known for never leaving the 2-1-0 (and coming back if they do), there's a fair share of natives that move on from the Alamo City. For those who depart San Antonio, there's lots of things left behind that will definitely make the heart grow fonder.

Having so many spots that know how to make delicious pan dulce
Trust us, we’re picky about where we get pan dulce. San Antonio definitely has its spots that just do it better. Now imagine living in a city that maybe has one panaderia. We think it’s terrible, too.
Photo by Jessica Elizarraras

Going honking after the Spurs win
What do Spurs fans outside of SA even do when the team wins a playoff game?
Photo via Pinterest / Ruthann Hildebrand

Nobody ever rents a moving truck – like, ever
We’ve all seen the pictures on social media of trucks wildly packed to unsafe heights, without rope and stacked in daring ways. This may happen in other cities, but it’s definitely a regular thing here in San Antonio.
Photo by Sarah Martinez

The one-of-a-kind experience that is Fiesta
Not all cities can shut down and party for 10 days straight. San Antonio keeps it real.
Photo by Samantha Serna

How easy it is to find raspas, mangonadas and other snack stand treats
Snack stands can be found throughout San Antonio and just keep on popping up. While common in cities with large Latino populations, we’re sure there aren’t chingos of shops in places like The Hamptons or Myrtle Beach.
Photo via Instagram / lovebriecheese

All the public art unique to SA’s landscape
Many major cities have their own public art, but San Antonio’s public art just has a lot of heart. From highlighting the city’s Latino culture to quirky bits of art that can be seen across town, San Antonio’s art scene is worth remembering fondly during an art stroll in other cities.
Photo by Bryan Rindfuss

Getting free coffee when the Spurs win during the playoffs
While we’re always rooting for the Spurs, being a fan is extra great when Valero offers free coffee when the team wins in the post-season. What other city shows pride like that?
Photo via Instagram / spurnatics

How there’s so many state parks and swimming holes within driving distance
In San Antonio, you get to enjoy city life while getting to be so close to beautiful nature sights in literally every direction. From Garner State Park to Calaveras Lake, there’s so much for you to enjoy with just a short drive.
Photo via Instagram / touchetstravels

Going to the store and knowing Big Red will be in stock
Believe it or not, Big Red isn’t sold nationwide. While it’s easy to come by in San Antonio, it was originally only sold in markets in Texas, Kentucky, and southern Indiana. It’s widely known throughout the South today, but there’s still parts of the U.S. that don’t know about Big Red.
Photo via Instagram / drinkbigred

How close it is to the Hill Country
For those who love the scenic sights in the Texas Hill Country, being a short drive away makes for fun day trips.
Photo via Instagram / aftpgallery

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How haunted San Antonio is – if that’s your thing
With all of the shady shit that’s happened in SA (aka history), it goes without saying that the city is haunted. From spooky sites to singular ghosts, there’s lots of scary stuff to get into. Seriously, there’s not another city in the U.S. that has such a concentration of ghostly matters.
Photo via Instagram / sniperv

Having endless options for breakfast tacos (or any kind of tacos for that matter)
What do people outside of Texas even eat for breakfast?
Photo via Facebook / The Original Donut Shop

The cost of living
Despite what your bank account might indicate, San Antonio is actually one of the most affordable places to live in the country – and is a major city at that! From average income to the housing market (which is getting worse, but not as bad as other places), living in San Antonio is definitely missed for that alone.
File photo

Getting your fill of tamales and then some during the holidays
Living in San Antonio means that you (probably) have a tradition of making tamales for the season with the fam. Even then, you probably have a go-to tamal vendor for when you run low. We can safely say that not all cities give you access to so many tamal options.
Photo via Instagram / roninreckless

People understand why you’re so proud of where you went to high school (even if you graduated 20+ years ago)
Because “where did you go to high school?” is only a conversation starter (and maybe even the start of a fight) in the 2-1-0.
Photo courtesy of Northeast Independent School District

Having your annual chicken-on-a-stick
Sure, some local restaurants sell the fried goodness year-round, but chicken-on-a-stick just tastes different at Fiesta. This is definitely one of things that isn’t available in chingos outside of the Countdown City.
Photo by JPL PRO - Julián P. Ledezma

The greatness that is H-E-B if they leave the Lone Star State
H-E-B does have some locations in Mexico, but otherwise the beloved supermarket chain is only found in Texas. And that is why Texas is #blessed.
Photo courtesy of H-E-B

The city shuts down in the rare occurrences when roads freeze
Laugh (or roll your eyes) if you will, but you have to admit that it’s pretty great that San Antonio can’t handle its shit when it “snows” here. With ice on the roads, most places can’t help but have to cancel school or work. Those days are slim here, but appreciated when you just want to stay home (because we can’t function in the cold).
Photo via Instagram / lutherscafe

Being cultured during First Friday in Southtown
Sure, other cities have their own pick of cultural events and artsy happenings, but Friday nights in Southtown are definitely something to be missed.
Artwork by Josie Del Castillo

Having a Bill Miller Bar-B-Q at basically every major intersection
BM opened its first restaurant in San Antonio in 1950 and has grown exponentially in the decades since. Though there’s 74 restaurants in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Austin, the fast-food barbecue chain hasn’t expanded outside of South and Central Texas. What a shame for those who move away.
Photo courtesy of Bill Miller Bar-B-Q

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Going to any Mexican restaurant downtown and being serenaded by mariachis
Tourists may not totally get it, but locals definitely appreciate the beauty of mariachi music – even if you pretend to be a hater. Coming back to SA and hearing the mariachis play is pretty magical – especially if you’re on the River Walk.
Photo courtesy of Pearl Brewery

The weather is basically perfect if you can handle the heat
We’ll be the first to say that the heat and humidity here absolutely sucks. But would you rather put up with having to shovel snow, hide out during tornadoes and hurricanes, or have all your stuff ruined thanks to an earthquake? We didn’t think so.
Photo via Instagram / texashumor

How everyone respects the military and service members
With a name like Military City USA, would you expect any less? Patriotic folks definitely miss this aspect of living in SA.
Photo via Shutterstock

Free chips and salsa at all the local Mexican restaurants
Did you know that some Mexican spots charge for chips and salsa?! How dare they! Living outside of Texas sounds rough – and expensive.
Photo via Instagram / cat_velazquez

All the history embedded into the city’s culture
Sure, the history isn’t always good, but you have to admit that it’s cool that San Antonio is the heart of Texas’ history. From the San Antonio Missions to the Texas Revolution, the Alamo City has been a happening place for centuries (hence the city’s tricentennial). No matter what sort of stuff you’re into, being able to rep SA for these historical tidbits alone is pretty damn cool.
Photo courtesy of the City of San Antonio

Having so many spots that know how to make delicious pan dulce
Trust us, we’re picky about where we get pan dulce. San Antonio definitely has its spots that just do it better. Now imagine living in a city that maybe has one panaderia. We think it’s terrible, too.
Photo by Jessica Elizarraras